10 Things Women Should Know about Male Hormones

You Can't Blame Everything on Testosterone

Testosterone: It's a term often associated with road rage and televised wrestling championships. The truth is, testosterone doesn't really create overtly negative behaviors. So, if the man in your life has a penchant for screaming at drivers who cut him off in traffic, hormones aren't necessarily to blame. However, testosterone does affect the size and strength of muscle and bone -- so it could offer benefits if the screaming match progresses into fisticuffs. Testosterone -- one of several male hormones classified as androgens -- is also a prime player in sexual appetites and sperm production. It's also why men usually have deeper voices than women, as well as the ability to grow a beard or mustache [source: Shmerling].

Testosterone can even impact the way a man feels about technology. Researchers at the University of Bath in England discovered pre-natal testosterone exposure affects the way a brain develops and, later in life, this allows gray matter an easier grasp of new technology. Turns out, people with high exposure to testosterone in utero were more inclined to embrace technology; those with lower levels of exposure had more computer-related anxiety [source: PhysOrg.com]. Despite testosterone's well-defined roles in men's health, it's a hormone women have, too. Find out more, next.

Testosterone and Aggression

Testosterone is a sexual hormone with a bad-boy reputation. But does it really cause aggression and increased risk-taking? No, say researchers. Biologically speaking, an influx of testosterone simply makes men more aware of their societal status in a complex societal system, which in turn, encourages them to act out dominant roles [source: Science Daily].